Have a good idea and it won't be long before others will attempt to copy it - as Tim Leatherman discovered when he added a set of pliers to a Swiss Army knife and created the multi-tool.

Have a good idea and it won't be long before others will attempt to copy it - as Tim Leatherman discovered when he added a set of pliers to a Swiss Army knife and created the multi-tool.

Now there are dozens on the market, tailored to any kind of use or budget. But which one deserves a place in your glovebox, in case you need a get-you-home repair? We opened up 18 examples from the leading manufacturers to sort the grippers from the slippers.

With such a wide choice, picking the right one is far from easy. We prefer products with the blades and tools fitted to the outside of the handles, simply because they are easier to use. Such devices do not have to be opened to get at the tools, and there is also a reduced risk of sharp edges digging in to your hand when applying pressure.

A mechanism to lock each accessory in place is an additional must to avoid fingers being pinched.

How big a multi-tool you go for will depend on whether you're planning to carry it around with you or leave it in the glovebox. But whatever you want to do with it, all the products we tested came with a leather or tough fabric pouch.

The choice of accessories is wide, but our essentials included cross and slotted screwdrivers, pliers, knife and scissors.

We weighted the marking towards build quality and safety - there was a huge disparity between the best and worst, with some of the products proving dangerous when we tried to open them, let alone use the tools.

This was a test where cheap was never cheerful - it was easy to see why the better products were more expensive.

To get an accurate picture, we used each tool for a variety of tasks: cutting thick and thin wire - as well as seatbelt webbing - with the blades and scissors, gripping and pulling with the pliers and working with the various screwdrivers on offer.

Victorinox Swiss Champ

Rating: ***

Price: &#xA3;49.95

The Champ is the Swiss Army Knife, with a huge number of tools and gadgets, all of which are screwed together with watchmaker precision. It even came with a set of pliers. And although wire-cutting proved impossible with the Victorinox, the blades and scissors made short work of the webbing.

Draper Expert PMT3

Rating: **

Price: &#xA3;21.95

It had pliers, which were rather sticky and failed to cut either of the wire samples. The tools, which were mounted inside the handles, were easy to get out. The blades were sharp and easily cut through the webbing. A mixed bag.

Leatherman Pulse

Rating: ****

Price: &#xA3;74.95

Despite being lightweight the Pulse had that solid feel Leatherman manages every time. The tests were passed easily and we particularly liked the side-handle, which made releasing the scissors simple. On the downside, it didn't have sprung pliers, and the handle could hurt under heavy pressure.

Gerber MP400 Corkscrew

Rating: *****

Price: &#xA3;50

The MP400 has won this test twice before and the Corkscrew version kept up the tradition. It cut perfectly and, although the tools were on the inside, access was easy thanks to the one-handed opening feature.

Gerber Urban Legend

Rating: ****

Price: &#xA3;74

Effectively a smaller version of the MP800, we rate this one highly. With superb attention to detail, the tools - all on the outside - were lockable, with a solid release catch. It was the second shortest on test at 95mm, but still crammed in everything it needed, cutting wire and webbing with ease.

Draper Expert PMT4

Rating: **

Price: &#xA3;21.95

It's not d&#xE9;j&#xE0; vu, this is virtually the same as the PMT3, but with much better pliers. Not only could they be locked in place, they easily hacked through both wire samples. The tools were a sloppy fit and, even with handles closed, didn't feel all that safe.

Verdict:

There is serious competition in the market for large multi-tools, but the Swiss Tool RS has managed to add scissors without hiking the price, giving it victory here.

In the medium sector, we liked the Leatherman Pulse and Gerber's Urban Legend, but both were expensive. So for the third test running, the Gerber MP400 takes the plaudits.